Juneau Whalers
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"|'League/conference affiliations' |- | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"| North American Football League (1978–2008; 2016-present) *North Division (1978-1979) *West Division (1980-2008) *American Conference (2016-present) **American West (2016-present) |- style="vertical-align:middle;" | style="vertical-align:top;"|'Team colors' | style="vertical-align:top;"|Blue & green |- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"|'Team history' |- | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"| *Juneau Whalers (1978-1995) *Alaska Miners (1996-2008) *''Suspended operations (2009-2015)'' *'Juneau Whalers (2016-present)' |- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"|'Championships' |- | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"| League championships (5) *'Mega Bowl (5)' 1992 (XX), 1995 (XXIII), 1998 (XXVI), 2001 (XXIX), 2007 (XXXV) |- | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"|'Conference championships (0)' |- | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"|'Division championships (11)' *'North Division:' none *'West Division:' 1981, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007 |- | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"|'Playoff appearances (14)' |- | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"| *'NAFL:' 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 |- bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"|'Home fields' |- | colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;"| *Adair-Kennedy Memorial Stadium (1978-1995) *Barnstormers (1996-2008) *'Douglas Island Stadium (2016-future)' |} The Juneau Whalers are an American football team in the North American Football League based in Juneau, Alaska. They were originally founded as an expansion team in 1978 and played home games at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Stadium. The team played as the Whalers from 1978 until 1995 and then changed their name to the Alaska Miners and became barnstormers, playing home games across the state of Alaska at high school stadiums and temporary facilities in parking lots. The Miners played until 2008 before folding. The most recent incarnation of the team began play in 2016. The team won four West Division titles and won their first league championship in 1992. Franchise history Original franchise (1978-2008) Juneau Whalers (1978-1995) In the summer of 1976, the NAFL awarded the city of Juneau an expansion franchise to begin play in 1978. The team's name was selected in a naming-contest that included possibilities like the Whalers, Eagles, Islanders, Capitals, and Salmon Kings. The first game for the Juneau Whalers took place on September 1, 1978 on the road against the Minnesota Timbers which the Whalers lost 14-0. Alaska Miners (1996-2008) After playing 17 seasons in Juneau, the franchise announced they would become barnstormers and play in temporary stadiums all around the state of Alaska. In order to reflect their new status as barnstormers, the team rebranded themselves as the Alaska Miners. In only their sixth season as barnstormers, the team won their first and only league championship. Following the 2008-09 season, the Miners announced they would be folding due to finanical reasons. The team, although popular amonst Alaskan football fans, struggled to fill the temporary bleachers they installed in parking lots in cities other than Anchorage and Fairbanks. The announcement came one year after the team hosted Mega Bowl IV on February 15, 2008. Second franchise (2016-present) On January 7, 2014, the North American Football League announced Juneau as the 25th team and that they would begin play in 2016. It was previously believed that this would be a new expansion team although on December 22, 2014, Juneau Professional Football, LLC announced that the team would in fact operate under the "Whalers" banner and would be considered a continuation of the former team in the same manner of the Charlotte Speedsters and Richmond Mustangs. Stadiums During their time in Juneau, the franchise played their home games at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Stadium which could only seat 1,000 but the team often sold standing room only tickets that raised capacity to 3,000. After becoming the barnstorming Miners, the team began playing their eight home games in various cities across the state of Alaska at temporary venues called Miners Temporary Field. The stadiums were made up of a roll of Astroturf, bleacher sections to seat 1,200 people, goal posts, and a simple scoreboard. Transported by semi-truck (and, on occasion, boat) the temporary stadium was set up in parking lots across Alaska. Every year the team would play one home game in each of the following cities: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Sitka, Ketchikan, Wasilla, and Kenai. The other two home games were played in Juneau at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Stadium again. With the return of the team in 2016, it was annoucned that they would play at the specially-constructed Douglas Island Stadium. Return In 2009, the city of Juneau began looking at various pieces of land to construct a new football stadium on to attract a new NAFL expansion team. The original plan called for a 42,000-seat retractable roof stadium and parking complex to be built on 136 acres off of North Douglas Highway but was soon abandoned due to the fear that few fans would be willing to drive to the unconvenient location. In 2011, the city of Juneau purchased 7 acres of land at Savikko Park on Douglas Island for $3.5 million with the intent of building a football stadium and parking garage; however, the City & Borough of Juneau Parks & Recreation Department blocked the sale until the city agreed to build a new ice arena to replace the old one that would otherwise be destroyed in the stadium's construction. The new ice arena opened in 2013 and is home to the Juneau Eagles of the North American Hockey League. In 2013, the city of Juneau approved a masterplan for the proposed football stadium as well as the surrounding area with stadium construction beginning July 25, 2013. On January 7, 2014, the NAFL officially awarded Juneau an expansion team for the 2016-17 season. Season records